The Kismet of Optimism
by CassieKnight
Summary: Layrial has reached a point in her life where she's never been happier then something happens that threatens to disrupt her life for a third time, but she's not sure if she welcomes him under the circumstances. CellOC fic Please R&R.
1. The Wish

**The Author has returned for round 3…:** Yes people, not even what? Two weeks later I have come up with another Cell story! Another HUGE thanks goes out to AVC for sparking the idea. We were randomly talking and boom it hit me. I love her—she's wonderful for my writer's block. Anyway, I'm not sure about the title…I was messing with words and this is what came out of it. The story is interesting…and I know you guys will enjoy it. The first chapter here is a bit different from the past two stories, but never fear. I'm working on 2 fanfics at this point, so I'm going to try to keep this one up, though it'll most likely get more attention because I adore writing these sort of things for such a wonderful fan group:) Oh, and just wanted to let you know...this character here, Amon Kizufumi, is actually based off of "Armand" in the movie the "Legend of Zorro." I totally loved Armand and yeah, that's who this guy is to a point XD But yes, "Amon" is a Japanese name, which worked out so perfectly ;) So, onto the sequel of the sequel…

(for those of you that are new to the Cell/Layrial stories, its suggested and recommended that you read "Shadowed Spirit" and "The Past Returns" first)

**_The Kismet of Optimism_**

**Chapter 1: **_The Wish_

The cold air spit on Amon Kizufumi's face as he climbed the icy hill of the mountainside. At his age of 68 climbing a mountain was the last thing he should be attempting, especially in such a frigid climate. This trip was worth the risk though. If things went according to plan, he'd soon find himself in a glorious state where there'd be so much power at his fingertips people would bow to him and beg for mercy.

It was thoughts such as that one that kept Amon going without wondering if these journeys were nothing but a death-wish. This was the seventh and final trip he had to make around the world to find what he considered the most precious gems that existed on the planet. They were called dragon balls—seven mystical balls that when brought together would summon a dragon of enormous power and who would grant any wish the caller desired. Amon had heard of these dragon balls many years ago, but he never had the opportunity, or the resources to be able to hunt for them.

However, things changed when he finally developed a small radar system that would help him locate that of which he sought. After several pain-staking attempts he was able to arrange a meeting at Capsule Corporation where a well-known, highly respected scientist, Dr. Briefs, conducted his studies. He knew Dr. Briefs had a daughter who was familiar with the dragon balls and, under great assumption, took the chance of snooping around at a given free moment to see if she had any sort of device that would make locating the balls easier.

Amon was right, much to his great happiness. Once he had developed his own version of this radar, he was able to charter a small plane to take him to the locations around the globe where these balls had landed since their last usage. He knew they were never in the same place twice; therefore the radar was of the utmost important to his self-made mission. He had been through blistering hot jungles, rugged deserts, beaches on islands that no one knew existed and more. After three years of non-stop work to get to this spot in his efforts towards his goal, he was finally at that final stepping stone to the treasure.

Amon pulled himself up over a small ledge, the weight of his backpack nearly pulling him back down. With arthritis in his hips and elbows as he got older, movement such as this was extremely difficult. Medication was only capable of taking the edge off the sharp pain therefore it was nearly impossible to escape it. Not that it mattered though—the thoughts of obtaining the last dragon ball was all that he had to think of now.

Once he was standing on the ledge, Amon pulled up the binoculars that were strung around his neck, his gloved hands trying to adjust them to see across the new hill he was standing on.

There…it stood only a few more meters away and it looked like nothing guarded the path. The last ball he had to go after was lying in the cave that belonged to a pack of lions—the experience was none to pleasing, to say the least. It was only with the help of a stunning device that he had invented that aided him in getting past the vicious animals. As he approached this ball the more aware he was of the proximity between him and his goal.

The three-star ball sat nestled in a tuft of snow protected from the harsh environment only by an evergreen that sheltered it from being buried from the white substance that blanketed the entire terrain. When Amon wrapped his fingers around the softball-sized orb, a large, smile full of yellowing teeth took over his face. Finally, he had succeeded—his dream would now come true. After nearly 30 years of waiting he'd finally be able to take hold of what was rightfully his.

Amon packed the ball safely into his pack and started the descent back to the plane. He wished he could call the pilot to just come pick him up, but there was no spot large enough to hold the aircraft even for a few moments. Walking was treacherous, especially downhill, but he didn't care anymore. He now possessed all seven dragon balls and soon he'd be summoning the eternal dragon.

Nearly an hour later, Amon found himself sitting with a hot cup of tea in his hands, a blanket over his legs, and warm air was pouring out from overhead vents. The plane was on its way back to the place he called home—the place that had scorned him for much too long. During the trip, though, instead of looking towards the future, Amon couldn't help but remember the past.

Thirty years ago he had been a first-class lab assistant to a brilliant scientist named Dr. Gero. Though Gero was older and admirable for his work, Amon never liked the man he worked under. Gero had been shunned by the community as well as forced into hiding after several attempts of power-struggles had been destroyed. Creating androids was his specialty and when Amon met him he was working on two very powerful, very lethal humans, transferring their humanity into robotics. It was a huge undertaking, but the more Amon saw, the more he began to believe anything was possible.

Then one day, the most ingenious idea occurred to him—an ultimate creation; a perfect being. He proposed the plan to Gero, which consisted of taking DNA from the world's greatest fighters, the very same men who had put Gero out of business (so-to-speak), and combine them to form the strongest creature imaginable. Gero seemed to put down the idea, but only days later did Amon find out that his plan was very worthy in Gero's eyes. Amon, suspicious of his idea being formulated without his knowledge, stayed behind and hid in order to observe Gero later at night. As he thought, the old scientist was developing little bug-sized droids that would gather the necessary DNA needed for the project.

Amon, feeling not only betrayed but angered by this turn of events, decided enough was enough. He purposely pulled up files that Gero had hidden from him (or so he thought) and each file, labeled "Cell" was spread out on a table. When Gero returned from a lunch break, he discovered what Amon was up to and immediately lashed out with verbal intensity. The only thing that made Amon leave was the threat that Gero hung over his head—activating androids 17 and 18 to get rid of him. Amon valued his life along with his work too much to be torn to pieces by Gero's little pets; therefore he left and never returned.

Amon sipped his tea and looked out the window of the plane. They were over a large stretch of land that seemed to be used for farming. He clearly remembered Gero's success in creating Cell, as if he had learned about it yesterday. It had been nearly thirty years since he proposed the idea and it had been a bit more than ten since he discovered it had truly worked. Cell had been created, and though differently than Amon would have designed him, the success of collecting cells from other beings and forming them into one ultimate creature was indeed a marvelous discovery. When the "terror" was unleashed onto several cities, Amon felt no fear, but rather pride that his brilliant mind could have thought of something so perfect. If he had been the one to follow through with the project it would've been even more glorious—but Gero had the equipment and the money, Amon had not.

"We'll be landing shortly, Dr. Kizufumi," the pilot called from the cockpit.

Amon fastened his safety belt and set his third cup of tea down in the armrest cup holder. In a mere few minutes the world would be under his control…his dream would be realized and what was rightfully his would return…

Those few minutes turned into half an hour, but it didn't matter. The pilot had landed in an open hay field and Amon proceeded to get out, pulling a duffle bag containing all seven balls over his shoulder. The elderly scientist limped several meters away from the plane, his legs tired and his body demanding rest, but he wouldn't give in. Kneeling down at a random spot, he unloaded all the dragon balls and watched them glow before his dull, green eyes. He ran a wrinkled hand through his short, neatly combed hair.

The balls continued to glow, but nothing happened. He thought that once they were together out in the open the dragon would appear and grant him his wish. Then it dawned on him—he probably had to say something to trigger the dragon to life. Before he did so, however, he reached into the duffle bag and pulled out a small gun-like object only instead of bullets it was loaded with small darts.

"Come forward dragon!" Amon yelled, but his eyes narrowed when everything remained the same. However…the sky began to grow dark and the wind started to pick up. He backed up several steps and shielded his eyes from sparks jumping from the balls; before he knew it a monster lightning bolt flew towards the sky, a ghostly shape forming from the smoke surrounding it.

Amon gasped when he saw the dragon's color taking place and the massive creature hovered several miles overhead. It was huge—larger than he had ever thought possible. Whoever created these balls was a pure genius and he'd like to thank him or her for a job well done.

"You have awakened me from my slumber," said the deep, booming voice of the dragon. "Speak and I will grant you two wishes."

Amon's eyes grew wide and his heart skipped a beat. Two? He had never heard of two wishes…how convenient. He thought quickly and decided which to wish for first; once he had he stood up as straight as his back would let them.

"Mighty dragon," he called up. "I wish for you to make my body in the condition it was in when I was 35 years old, but allow me to still hold the knowledge I have today!"

"As you wish," the dragon answered. His large red eyes glowed brightly, his huge teeth being exposed as he opened his mouth while granting the wish.

Amon felt a wave of heat and adrenaline wash over him. He looked down at his hands and noticed how young they looked. He felt stronger, taller, and much better from the ailments that had been setting in on him. If a mirror were present, he was sure to find the image of the man he once knew—bright green eyes, neat brown hair, a straight, but short nose and a round chin.

"Now, state your second wish," the dragon rumbled.

Amon smiled and gripped the gun tightly in his hand. "I wish for you to bring back Cell, the perfect being that had died here many years ago during his Cell Games, but return him in his final form," he ordered in a much younger sounding, smooth voice.

The dragon seemed to be staring at Amon, his face unfaltering. Amon waited, one thin eyebrow rising above the other and his sharp eyes searching the area in front of him. Then, the red eyes of the dragon glowed and thunder shook the Earth. Amon looked at a glowing figure in front of him, the shape becoming more clear and definite as the seconds rolled on.

Cell, had returned.

Amon's perfectly white teeth smiled through thin lips, his face looking menacing yet very pleased. Before him stood his ultimate idea—Cell, the being created from the world's most powerful warriors—and he was even better in person than he remembered on TV ten years ago. Tall and well built with an oddly shaped two-tiered crown on his head, Cell looked up at the large dragon with magnificent magenta eyes, his yellow chin hanging with an open jaw.

"My work here is done," the dragon said. "Farewell."

In a flash the monster disappeared, the balls hovered and then shot out in seven separate directions. The sky returned to its familiar blue color and the stormy weather passed as if had never happened. Cell looked down at his pale gray hands, apparently appalled that he was once again in the world of the living.

As Cell looked himself over, Amon did the same. Cell's body was dominantly green with dark green spots, but parts of him—shins and calves, chest and shoulders and cranium looked like they were a smooth and hard black. His face was very human-like, with the exception of purple cheeks and a yellow plated jaw. Amon frowned slightly as he noticed bug-like (though made of the same black material as his chest and shoulders) wings that fell dead-straight to his knees.

"Magnificent," he said to himself; Cell obviously heard him and finally took notice. "Tell me, Cell, what's it like to be alive once again?"

Cell looked curiously, yet scornfully at this human being, a man he didn't remember ever being acquainted with when he was alive. "I beg your pardon, but have we met?" He asked disdainfully.

Amon wanted to jump at the feeling of hearing Cell speak—an ideal and well rounded tone with a bit of a foreign (British, he assumed) accent. It topped off his elegant mannerism perfectly. "You do not know me, but I know all about you."

"Spare me the lecture," Cell warned.

"I am the one who thought of you—it was my idea to create you and you exist because of me," Amon said as if he was possessed by a demon.

Cell laughed audibly and put his hands on his hips. "Please, do you expect me to believe such a thing? Only one man created me and you are most certainly not him—I may not have met my creator, but I know of him very well and you, my friend, are far too young to fit his image."

"Yes, you speak of Dr. Gero," Amon said with a small frown forming on his lips. "But I was the one who gave Gero the idea—I was his lab assistant before you were designed and banished because I wanted to be part in your creation."

"I've heard enough of this," Cell said, his expression firm. He extended his arm and pointed his index finger at Amon. "Please give those fools in the afterlife my regards—"

"No," Amon said with a sleek grin. "You belong to me, Cell, and no one else…not even yourself…"

Before Cell had a chance to react, he felt something pierce his neck. He reached up and pulled out three small darts that he had barely seen being shot from a gun the man held. Cell's eyes looked the tiny darts over and frowned as he crushed them in his hand, some of the remnants pricking his palm.

Amon waited patiently and watched whiled Cell opened his mouth to speak—but nothing came out. In fact, no actions against Amon came because Cell soon found himself on his knees, his veins pulsing up his neck and arms.

Amon approached the android slowly and snickered as he looked at creature as he struggled for control. "There can be no resistance," he said with dignity. "You are mine."


	2. Once Upon A Time

**Da** **Note: **I thank all of you for your loverly reviews! And some new faces as well! Welcome…I'll reply to your comments in a moment. This chapter, as you'll see, is switching back to my normal style of writing these stories—Layrial's p.o.v. The reason I wrote the first chapter the way I did was because I wanted the background informationout since technically Layrial couldn't have been there to tell what was going on. So yeah, that's it.

**Aquasage**: That's interesting information! I actually never watched Dragonball (found it boring, honestly) and I never knew there was another scientist credited with the androids before Gero. I'm giving Amon the credit only for Cell (to a point), but it works either way, right? And yes, Zorro—lol. I watched it and I'm like, wow, now that's an awesome bad guy XD I figured I'd go for a new type of villain instead of the maniac scientist/wizard you usually see on DBZ. Welcome back!

**hiiragi demon**: Thank you very much for your kind words. I'm glad you liked my other two stories and have gotten into this one. Cell is one of my two favorite characters in DBZ and I pride myself in trying to keep him in character—it's not Cell if he's not. I look forward to hearing from you further—feel free to message me if you have any questions on anything from any of my stories or whatnot.

**Akaida-Felinjin: **Thank you for your review. I just wanted to point out, though, that Cell is not OOC, though I can see how you may think so because of him being under control by a mere human, as you put it. It is possible and I shall explain it later in the story; remember, Amon isn't a mere human—he is a scientist and knows his stuff. I shall say nothing more; I don't give away anything XD Welcome to the little Cell/Layrial community :)

**Reindeer sausage:** Ah, my faithful reviewer, how are you? I'm glad you've discovered the story—I'm so excited to be writing it. Seriously, at the end of the previous two I'm like, oh no—I can't end it 'cause I'll have nothing to write! I so adore getting flash ideas and pulling another story out of nowhere. It's wonderful.

* * *

**Chapter 2: **_Once Upon a Time_

It was a normal day like any other. I woke to find I was the only one occupying the queen bed in my bedroom and the windows were cracked just enough to let in a fresh morning breeze. I let out a long yawn and stretched my back as I sat up, swinging my legs around to hang over the side, my toes just barely touching the hardwood floor. I heard the shower running and knew I'd have to wait to get in there to take my own.

It seems strange to think on how quickly my life had changed in three years. What's really amusing is how much I enjoy it and I'd do it all over again if I could. Everything has been peaceful and I want it to stay that way. I no longer work, since its not much of a priority anymore as other things have come up—better things.

I heard the shower go off and I looked to the door. With a small smile I made my way to the closet and pulled out clean clothes to wear for the day—jeans and a t-shirt. Glancing at the time, I figured I better put coffee on and get things started in the kitchen. I headed down the hall and into the kitchen, loaded up the coffee maker with fresh grounded coffee beans and filled it with water. Flipping the switch on, I pulled out a box of cereal, a bowl and a spoon. The milk would stay in the fridge a while longer.

When I returned to the bedroom a smile came across my face as I watched Toshi tying a tie around his neck. He looked very serious as he looped it in and out in a way I still don't understand—my father had once tried teaching me for the hell of it, but it never sank into my thick skull.

"Hey there," Toshi said when he realized I was spying.

"Morning sweetheart," I replied and went into the room to open up the window a bit more. "Sleep well?"

"Sure did," he replied and straightened the tie so it hung nicely against the royal blue shirt he was wearing. "How do I look?" He asked as he ran his fingers through his dark hair while studying himself in the dresser mirror.

"Perfect," I replied and went over to give him a good morning kiss. "I got your coffee started."

"Thanks," he said and kissed my forehead. "I'm running late."

"As usual," I snickered.

While he went into the kitchen to start his breakfast I went down the hall in the opposite direction and opened the shades in the room I went into. "Rise and shine sleeping beauty," I said with a smile. I turned to the crib and looked down at the small infant who lay in there, big blue eyes staring up at me, wondering what was going on.

I picked up my nine month old daughter and held her to my chest, supporting her head so it wouldn't fall back. She automatically put her thumb in her mouth and sucked on it gently; I kissed the top of her head where dark hair—like her father's—was starting to grow in more fully now. I bounced a little as I stood there and was happy to see that she was in a good this morning—there were days where she started off the morning crying and begging for all the attention she could get. She definitely was my little girl in that respect.

I brought Sasara down the hall and Toshi glanced up with a twinkle in his dark brown eyes. He smiled as he sipped his coffee and waved to our daughter. "Hey there pumpkin," he greeted. "How's my little girl this morning?" I handed Sasara over to him so I could get her bottle ready.

This was my new morning routine—and I loved it. Soon after I started dating Toshi three years ago I discovered how much I really liked him. It was only five months and he asked me to marry him—and I agreed only after a hesitation where I was completely stunned that things could turn around for me so quickly. Our wedding was nice and simple, held on the water front of a hotel. I worked until I was six months pregnant with Sasara and then I decided that I wanted to be the house wife instead of the working mom that never saw her child…or children as I was once told that Toshi wanted a bunch of kids. We still haven't agreed on that one.

Nothing could have made me happier with the sight I was seeing right now. Toshi held Sasara in his arm, the other hand holding up the morning newspaper as he read her a comic strip. She was quiet and looked at the paper as if she knew exactly what he was telling her.

"Toshi, you're going to be really late," I said after catching sight of the clock on the wall next to the door.

"Oh you're right," he said and kissed our daughter before handing her back over to me. "I'll see you later darling."

"Have a good day," I told him and he was off.

The rest of the morning was usually spent feeding Sasara and putting her in a playpen where she napped most of the day. When I was sure she was asleep I took a quick shower, checked on her, then proceeded to get dressed and fix my hair. Standing in front of the mirror in the bathroom I combed out the snarls in my dark blue hair and then blow dried it only enough to take away the dripping wetness. I didn't bother framing my gray eyes with make up any more; for some reason it was no longer important to me if I wasn't going out to a party or wherever.

When I returned to the living room I found Sasara had woken up and was in need of a diaper change. I made baby noises and rubbed my nose against hers as I brought her to the nursery to clean her up. "My gosh, Sasara, what did Daddy feed you this morning?" I joked as I discarded the nasty-smelling diaper she had been wearing.

Within five minutes she was back in her playpen and I turned on the TV so I could listen to my favorite soap opera as I picked up the room. The night before Toshi had his parents and his cousin with his wife over; it wasn't a big mess, but magazines and empty glasses were still littering the coffee table. I also wanted to vacuum the floor in case any popcorn or peanut crumbs missed someone's mouth.

It's strange how my tastes had changed in the past few years. Before I couldn't stand the thought of soap operas—now they were an every morning ritual. I had always laughed at my mother who was, and still is, big on daytime television—I thought that the only worthy things on the air were the news reports, since that had once been a profession of mine…until those events eleven years ago, but I'm not going to even think about them.

I finished clearing the coffee table and was in the process of dragging out the vacuum from the hall closet when I heard a familiar voice filling the living room. My old colleague Marco Mendon was the image on the screen, which surprised me because it wasn't the late morning news hour. I stood the vacuum up and tried to listen over Sasara's playful giggles.

"…the Mayor asked that no one venture out of town to check on any relatives or friends. The height of the danger is not exactly certain, but if any of you remember what happened the last time any terror was unleashed you know that it's not a good idea to be barging into what is now military business," Marco said.

The image next to his head was what made me step closer to the TV. Kingsville, a city nearly ten miles from here, was under attack by some sort of unknown force. Marco continued talking. "Sandy, what can you tell us about the devastation Kingsville saw this morning?"

A woman named Sandy Brinks came onto the screen, a face I was never acquainted with, and turned to a smoldering office building behind her. "Marco, this morning eyewitnesses claim that a horror that many hadn't seen in over a decade returned with what they said was a revengeful wrath. Police chief Simon Simmons said that this monster, who was known as Cell back in the day, had appeared early this morning and started a wave of destruction on the entire city. Officials say nearly one-hundred people were killed and even more than that were severely injured from burning and falling buildings."

I dropped the handle of the vacuum and it crashed to the floor. I stared at what they now showed—a home made video where one could barely make out a green figure blasting the city bank to bits. My hands stated shaking and I let my legs slink my body down to the floor where I sat there staring, my heart pounding in my chest.

_Not again, _I thought. _This can't be…he's dead…he can't come back._ I had forgotten about him completely until this moment. I had put that horrible memory of that android aside and vowed never to open that book ever again. He had nearly killed me, had put me through hell and back, and now he returned for a reason I didn't, nor wanted to know. All I knew was I didn't want to see that face again…


	3. Willpower

**The Inevitable: **I thank all of you again for the lovely reviews and support. However, I would like to make a request—please do not claim Cell is out of character until you have read the whole story. Like many authors, I like to keep some things kept to myself until later in the story when I feel that they could finally be explained. Remember, Cell has only made one appearance in this thus far and it was only for a few paragraphs.

Now that that's out of the way, one with this chapter!

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**Chapter 3: **_Willpower_

It took me several moments to realize that this news broadcast wasn't a hoax that it was in fact real and I had to acknowledge it. Cell was somehow alive—or at least back on Earth since he technically wasn't alive the second time he had graced the planet with his presence. Thankfully, though, at that time he caused no damage, except my ego.

To think that I had to see him once again was ridiculous—I mean, I was here and he was spotted out there. There was no way he could find me unless he understood the methods of looking people up in the phone book…though I hoped that wasn't the case. There was also the obvious image of him causing fresh devastation; who was there to say that he'd come looking for me? However he returned gave him a new chance to do what he had originally set out to do—destroy the world.

Could he? I knew he technically could, but the real question was would he? Would he actually get a chance, or would want to get a chance to go through with his plans and orders he was given by an insane scientist, the very one who brought him to life all those years ago?

Questions swam through my head like fish going upstream, but I was drawn back to my living room when Sasara started crying. I had completely lost track of time and forgot that she was in need of feeding. I sighed as I picked her up and brought her into the kitchen in order to keep her calm why I prepared her second bottle of the day. I wanted to talk to Toshi about what I had seen on TV, but he would've thought two things right away—one, I was over reacting and two, would I attempt to go out and see Cell?

The answer to that was…no. I couldn't…shouldn't…wouldn't. Isn't it funny on how those words put together in that way make sense? I no longer had any feelings for Cell, but the thought that maybe I could get him to stop what he was doing was a possibility.

I turned on the stovetop to warm up the formula in the bottle sitting in a pan, and then looked at the tile on the backsplash of the counter. I was stupid. I was very stupid. I was completely appalled, not to mention angry with myself for even giving Cell the slightest thought. How could I leave my daughter to go look for that monster?

_Layrial, you're losing your mind again,_ my logical side warned me. I knew that side of my brain was right and I quickly pushed the thoughts away and fed Sasara. I just hoped Toshi didn't find out until he came home…then I could act surprised about the whole incident and pretend I hadn't given it any thought.

Though throughout the day I couldn't bring myself to do the usual household chores and I was finding that no matter what station I turned too I ended back switching to the news station to see what the update was. Apparently the Kingsville Massacre, the name they gave the destruction in the city, was the only form of violence they had seen Cell perform. Since that morning, he had disappeared. I idly wondered if it was some punk setting off bombs and pretending that they were Cell, throwing on a costume that closely resembled the android.

That was the story I stuck too until Toshi returned home later in the afternoon; with him was an afternoon paper with the big headline on the front page reading "He's Back! Terror Strikes Kingsville, Killing Hundreds." I wanted to sink into the ground and pretend that I had no idea what Toshi was talking about when he was taking off his shoes.

"Did you hear about this, Layrial?" He asked, although not accusing me in any way, manner, or form.

"I heard a news flash this morning on the TV," I admitted, not being able to bring myself to lie to him.

"How the hell does that guy do it? I mean, can't he just die and stay that way?" Toshi remarked as he opened his shoulder bag to take out some assignments that needed to be graded. "I know you said there's this dragon thing that can bring people back to life, which is how I'm still walking the Earth, but still, who the hell wishes for _him?_"

It was a good very question. Who _would_ do such a thing? Everyone I knew was terrified of not only Cell, but any other horror that this poor country had ever seen—that Buu character being another example. Unfortunately, though, I couldn't even use my imagination to create another method of bringing a being back to life other than wishing for it on those mysterious objects that guy had mentioned to me after I was killed during the Cell Games.

"Layrial, promise me you're not going to go after him," Toshi said with a great deal of fear in his voice. "I don't want to lose you in any way to that monster."

I smiled and kissed his cheek. "Don't worry, sweetheart, I have no intentions on making myself known to that…thing," I reassured him. "It was only by chance I met him the second time—I haven't even thought of going looking for trouble."

There it was; I lied. I had thought of it throughout most of the day. It was like that proverbial image of the devil on one shoulder and the angel on the other fighting over getting me to listen to them instead of the other. Though, thankfully, that little angel won out.

Sasara woke from her nap in her crib and Toshi volunteered to take care of her this time. I pulled out some frozen vegetables and tossed some chicken I had been working on in the oven, but I couldn't help but get Cell out of my head.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

I couldn't sleep that night. I lay awake staring at the ceiling and hearing Toshi breathing heavily next to me (he was such a noisy sleeper). I heard nothing from Sasara over the little monitor I had connecting the two rooms, which in a way disappointed me because I wanted a reason to get up and move around besides since I couldn't sleep.

The window was half-open and a gentle wind blew fresh air into the room, and though normally it helped put me to sleep, tonight my imagination was pretending I could smell something burning—which was totally not true. So I did what any other sensible person would do in a case like this…I got up and went to watch TV.

Big mistake…really bad, big mistake. Of course I wanted to check out the news station. When morning came I was tempted to write a letter and state that it's unhealthy to have a station devoted to nothing but repeating news stories for people to watch whenever they wanted during the day or night. Either way, I found myself pasting my eyes to the screen…and of course, the top story was what came on when I flipped to the station.

"Downtown Eastern City was the next target on Cell's list this evening," the reporter said. "It appears that the mass murderer seen a decade ago is linked with former Rising Sun University scholar and professor of science, Dr. Amon Kizufumi, who at some point underwent major cosmetic surgery since he was last seen five years ago. Kizufumi appeared in front of a smoldering apartment building only hours after Cell's attack and claimed that he had the power to stop the monster if people recognized him as the leader of the country. Mayor Jerzi replied in a later interview that he feels Kizufumi has reached mental insanity, though he could be the key at stopping Cell."

I sat there for the longest time just staring at the people giving the weather report, but I wasn't listening to a word they were saying. My subconscious knew it was a big weather map on the screen with little clouds and suns scattered everywhere, but if any of that stuff sank in I have no recollection. There were only two logical explanations at this point: Dr. Kizufumi wished Cell back to life, or he knew something that no one else did. If that's the case, then I want to know how the hell a guy like him who doesn't seem to have a pumped-up muscle on his body (from the image on the TV that is) have the power to defeat Cell.

I wondered if the ones responsible for killing Cell in the first place knew of his return and if they did how long they were going to wait to do something about it. I knew Cell wasn't the only one out there capable of freakish powers and strengths. I remember quite clearly the one that was called Goku, although I had heard he died long ago with Cell.

I felt torn. I didn't know what to do. On one hand I felt like I had to do something, like I was capable of stopping Cell myself, which is totally absurd if he's lost his mind. On the other hand, though, I wanted to just stay tucked away in my little house with my husband and daughter and pretend nothing had ever happened.

My thoughts reverted back to where they said the most recent attack took place—Eastern City. Had I stayed there I could've been a victim. What struck me though is that I knew a good deal of people in Eastern City, including two girls who were in my wedding. My eyes looked at the ground, staring at nothing in particular, but I was wondering if my friends were dead…

Cell may have killed them. Cell may have taken away two of my best friends I've had since school. They…no, I couldn't continue thinking about it. All I know was that it struck a little too close to home. If Cell had hit two cities near where I now resided, my gut feeling was my husband could die while he worked in the high school downtown.


	4. Death Wish

**Hallo:** Yes, the author is bored and decided she had nothing better to do with her Friday night than write another chapter. I will say, though, that I had gone back and changed some stuff, but returned it to the original writing because I think it'd be a little bit of an exaggeration (not to mention foolhardiness) with the events that would happen later on. I may or may incorporate that idea later, but for now…we'll keep it this way. I'll tell you what I was going to plan at the end of the chapter as to not ruin it before hand. I don't expect to be getting a fifth chapter up tonight, possibly not until next week.

Oh, and for those of you who really liked Shadowed Spirit, I'm tempted to re-write it only from a different perspective. I'm sure you can figure out which that would be; but I'd like to know if you guys would enjoy it or not. It'd be more of a fun thing, truthfully. Though I wouldn't start it until after this story is done (I think). Anyway, yeah, let me know :)

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**Chapter 4: **_Death Wish_

I ended up turning the television set off soon after the weather forecast had ended, though I made no attempt to get up off the couch. I wanted to do something, to see if I could help because I knew Cell, but there was one thing keeping me from doing so. How the hell was I supposed to find him?

Sure I could go out into the desert and throw up fireworks to announce where I was, but since I wasn't about to go back out there willingly and I didn't own fireworks, the idea was nothing but my mind running wild.

So I waited until dawn. Before the sun had fully reached the peak of the mountain in the distance, I dressed myself in the same jeans, but a different t-shirt I had the day before. I grabbed a zip-up sweatshirt, sneakers and car keys and headed out. I had left a note on the kitchen table telling Toshi not to go to work, but to stay home and take care of Sasara and this was something I had to do. I didn't bother telling him why I was gone…I was sure he could figure it out.

As I was driving down the street I glanced up at my house getting smaller in the rear-view mirror. For a brief moment I wondered if I was out of my mind…but someone had to get through to Cell. The military was no match for him—I witnessed that first hand—and no one was going to pledge allegiance to that whacko professor. So unless Goku's friends showed up, Cell would end up destroying the planet, just like he had wanted to in the first place. Why he was working with this other guy, though, was what still didn't make sense. Cell was much too independent and egoistic to want to work with an outside force. He must be benefiting in some way.

I drove down a main drag, having really no idea where I was going. I don't know what got into me, but I needed to be doing this…I needed…

…to see him.

So it finally came out. I frowned and let out a heavy sigh after allowing myself to think what I've been struggling to keep a secret for a very long time. Even after being able to say goodbye to him, knowing I had a chance to see his face one more time, to hear that voice, was something I couldn't escape, even though I had really, desperately tried. Toshi was going to kill me.

When I saw a sign that said I still had another eight miles to go until I hit the border of a city southwest of South Bay I wondered if I was heading in the right direction. Coincidently, and rather freakishly, I got my answer. In the distance, when I was just starting to be able to make out the skyline of the city, I saw a monstrous mushroom cloud billowing into the morning sky. There was no other explanation…Cell had hit for a third time.

I drove a little further, but stopped my car when I saw that traffic was actually coming down both lanes! I swerved of the road and the car bumped along the dry landscape of the outer desert. Cars were going past me at such high speeds I feared they'd join me on the side of the road; I drove further onto the unpaved land and then stopped to watch more and more cars zoom past without a care that they were on the wrong side.

Out of the corner of my eye I caught sight of something in the air. I inclined my head to look and saw that it wasn't anything man-made…in the transportation sense, that is. I was certain it was Cell and he was heading this way. Now please understand I have no idea what's up with my head since I discovered this whole catastrophe twenty-four hours ago, but something was screaming at me to get out of the car and run.

I did just that. I got out and ran for my life. There was a small hill that I aimed for, my legs burning with the intense exercise that I hadn't undergone since before I got pregnant Sasara (I was a very fortunate woman not to have gained an extreme amount of weight that went along with most pregnancies). Before I could get to the top, though, I was pushed down by a mighty force from behind. I landed face first into the dirt, my hands scraping on small pieces of rock, my knees smacking the ground and lurching back up from the blow.

While holding my hands protectively over my head I waited for the blast to end; I knew exactly what it was. I didn't dare a chance to see what was going on, though. I feared if I did I'd go blind or die…if I wasn't already dead. Though when it was over and I couldn't hear the wind howling around me, I unwrapped my arms and glanced over my shoulder.

Needless to say there was no longer any traffic on either side of the highway. In fact, there wasn't even a highway to look at…just a black burn mark on the rocky terrain. When I saw exactly how far this burn mark stretched I nearly had a heart attack. I couldn't even tell where it ended or started.

I rolled onto my back and scooted backwards, despite the stinging pain I felt in the palms of my hands from scrapping the ground the way they did when I fell. When my back hit something and I couldn't scoot any further, I felt like I had lost all the blood in my body. I immediately felt cold and my eyes couldn't find the energy to blink.

Looking up I expected to see magenta eyes staring down at me; I expected to see a smirk on a white and purple face that knew me all too well. What I saw was actually quite different. Sharp green eyes stared at me like I was nothing more than a domestic animal being caught red-pawed doing something bad. There was a smirk on his face, but it wasn't welcoming at all. In fact, it was almost scary.

"Well, well," he said. "What have we here? A survivor, perhaps?"

I jolted away and got to my feet, my hands pressing against my hips to hopefully calm the sting I was feeling in them. "Who are you?" I asked.

"You haven't heard of me by now?" he asked, then chuckled with his eyes closed. He looked back at me and smiled, his eyes narrowing and his hands moving behind his back. I watched them and tried to see if they were handling something that would kill me.

The man, no older than me, continued to stare as if I was supposed to know something. Finally, though, he answered my question. "My name is Dr. Amon Kizufumi," he replied. "And what is yours, may I ask?"

Did I dare tell him? Would it make any difference? "Layrial," I said knowing I knew my voice held no fear. I was more surprised at him being there than anything else. He was only a person, like me, and the worst he could do was pull out a gun.

I have no idea what I was thinking…I knew I had lost my mind, but for me to think that a gunshot wound wouldn't be painful was ludicrous. "You're the one responsible for Cell, aren't you?" I assumed.

"Very good," he said with a bright nod. "At last someone who realizes I was the genius behind the android, not that old man Gero."

I gawked at him in bewilderment. "You were who? I meant that you were the one to bring him back since no one else is crazy enough to do so."

Kizufumi no longer looked happy or amused. Actually, he looked like a wax figure staring at me without even taking the luxury of breathing. His near-perfect features scared me in ways I couldn't explain…he was almost less human than Cell was (in a weird, twisted way…don't ask).

The man took in hissing breath and looked to the sky. "You know, I was almost tempted to let you live a bit longer since you seemed to be clever enough to know the truth, but…" He snapped his fingers and shot me a glare, "…I think you deserve to die."

I wanted to thank him for being so blunt, but I didn't have the chance to dwell on it further. Above where we both stood loomed an intense shadow. I looked up and this time saw the figure I expected.

Only somehow, Cell didn't look happy to see me.

* * *

**AN: **As I mentioned earlier, I had changed events a bit several times. I was really thinking, and actually had written Sasara into the chapter where Layrial takes her during her search for Cell, though I figured that a nine month old baby had little chance of making it out normally without any sort of harm. Besides, I thought I'd cut Layrial a little slack here ;) She's not an unfit mother and having her take her daughter, ultimately putting her in danger would make it seem that way. 

Why I felt the need to explain all of this to you when you would've been none the wiser is beyond me. I think it's my boredom. Anywho, until next time.


	5. Layrial's Despair

**New chapter, new note: **I'm surprised I actually didn't write this over the weekend, but I guess I was a bit lazy. Forgive me. However, it's a wonderful thing to finish a test within (literally) 10 minutes and have an extra 45 minutes tacked onto the hour break you have until the next class. Anyway, this one was fun to write. Finally, I'm getting into it :) I was re-reading some previous reviews, and I'd like to point something out—Cell couldn't have been effected by an electricity because first of all, that wouldn't serve the purpose of what I have in store for him, and second, it could've absorbed it. Gas wouldn't work either, because if you remember, he can survive with any air-type, or lack-there-of, like Frieza can/could. And again, it wouldn't have served the purpose.

Also, a welcome back to **Thomas Drovin**. Also, to **reindeer sausage**, what you guessed is correct—that is what I'm thinking of doing, but it'd take a lot of work, actually. Though since I won't have classes next week, I may be able to pull it off without being bound by time. Keep and eye out for it—it _won't_ have the same title.

Enough of that…go read. As for me, I have to run to class > !

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**Chapter 5: **_Layrial's Despair_

I stood there, my eyes fixated on Cell hovering nearly ten feet above me. Even at the distance I was from him I saw the hatred painted all over Cell's angelic face. If it hadn't been for this and if it hadn't been for the fact that he just killed hundreds of people (again) I may have tried to smile upon seeing him for the third time in my life.

However…I felt my heart quicken as he slowly came down to the ground, his feet creating a familiar squeak when they suddenly felt his full weight. I could feel my mouth going dry as I looked him over—at a quick glance he was the same as he was before, but there was something about him that was different. He stood very stiff, his eyes were glazed over in a dull yellow, his bright pink eyes unnoticeable, and he wore a scornful frown that I had never seen him portray in the time I've been in his presence.

"Cell," I said, trying to smile and sound friendly. "Long time no see…?"

Amon Kizufumi looked at me curiously. "Have you met my android prior to this moment?" He asked me, looking between the emotionless android to me.

My mouth closed immediately and I tried not to make eye contact with the man. Maybe it was a mistake to try to greet Cell, though I hoped that perhaps if I did Cell would smile and tell this lunatic of a human that he had no intentions on hurting me.

"I asked you a question," Kizufumi snarled as he stepped up, his face only inches from mind. I looked away as his eyes roamed down my body, a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "You are quite beautiful," he replied.

"Shove it," I told him.

The smile that had grown on his cold face faded and his annoyance with me returned. "Cell," he said simply, raising an eyebrow in a manner of which an aristocrat would use after ordering a servant about; "kill her."

Cell raised a hand, but my instincts kicked me into motion. I put both of my arms up and yelled a terrified, "NO!" Cell paused, and looked at me, his cold, heartless eyes staring at me with such hatred I thought I could die from his gaze alone.

"Cell," I said, tears starting to appear at the edges of my eyes—he didn't remember me. "Please," I begged, "don't do this…you know me. Its Layrial…remember?"

"I told you to kill her," Kizufumi repeated. "Do it so we can be on our way."

Instead of the ball of light I expected to form in his hand, a very powerful gust of air came splashing at me and I was forced back nearly thirty feet. I landed with a hard thud on my back, my lungs being caught in my throat and for a moment I couldn't breathe. I pushed myself to sit up the moment I heard the squeak from Cell's walk.

"Cell!" I pleaded. I had no idea it'd turn out like this. If I had known that he wouldn't remember me I would've stayed home and prayed that those strange men from the Cell Games came to Earth's rescue once again.

As Cell stood over me, his dark shadow covering my entire form, I realized that this wasn't the Cell I knew. He wasn't just angry…he wasn't enjoying this. Cell loved to see people suffer, to see them being tormented especially if he were the one causing the anguish. But this Cell…this Cell had no thought of what he was doing.

Using some sort of telepathy, Cell brought me to a stand-up position, my feet hanging above the dirt floor of the desert-like terrain. Tears were streaming steadily down my face now, and I hoped my expression would strike some realization into him. When I saw that he wasn't looking me directly in the eye, I knew that Cell—if he was the same Cell I knew—was gone.

"Cell," I said again as that little ball of yellow-orange light started to form in the palm of his right hand. "I'm begging you…please remember me."

That ball was growing larger with every passing second until it was the size of a melon. His elbow bent, his forearm retracting back level with his shoulder—he was going to push this thing right through me.

"Wait!"

Cell stopped, but didn't look back. In fact, he stood perfectly still.

Kizufumi sauntered up slowly, one hand holding his chin and his eyes looking at the ground in thought. "I just remembered where I've seen you," he said to me, but he still didn't look at me. "When you announced that you knew my android, it took me a moment to figure out why that was odd when he was designed to hate all humans. However, it dawned on me that you must be the girl he held captive when he created that tournament…how many years ago was it?"

I didn't answer. I kept my body perfectly still, afraid that the slightest move—even a deep breath—would be enough to give Cell the incentive to shove that glowing orb into the center of my stomach. My eyes, though, looked at Kizufumi. He finally created a wicked smile.

"Put her down," he said. "Don't worry, he won't release that until I say so."

Confused, I regained my footing, my back feeling like it was locked into a vise and suddenly forced to react to my movement. I took a step away, but quickly realized that it would take one word to signal Cell to finish his task.

"I'm going to let you live," he said. He waved his hand to motion to Cell to dismiss the energy ball—which he did easily. "I want you to see what this monster you befriended is capable of doing; and trust me when I say he can do much, much more than fight the common criminal."

I breathed heavily, my heart racing in my chest like a steam train with no breaks. This man had somehow gained control of Cell, as if he hacked into Cell's brain and let lose a fatal virus that destroyed the android I knew, even though Cell was made of flesh and blood, not metal. The mind of Cell seemed to be missing, but the body remained.

"Take her," he said and started walking away. Without the slightest bit of hesitation Cell grabbed me and threw me over his shoulder roughly. The position was unbearable, my body already in pain from the landing I took after being thrown. His hard shoulder was jabbing into my gut and I couldn't ease my muscles to configure with it.

"Where are you taking me?" I asked in a panic.

"Pay attention, Miss Layrial," Kizufumi replied. "You're coming with us until I feel you've had enough—then I'll let Cell pull apart every appendage on your little body."

I tried to wriggle, but Cell's arm was locked around me, giving me no means for a chance to struggle. I banged on his shiny, black wings, hoping he'd try to throw me or…something. He ignored everything I did—I knew that he couldn't feel my fists because of the way his body was structured. The only time I had actually gotten through to him was when I slapped his face, which I believe, is the most sensitive spot on his body. No…I take that back; there is one other that I knew of, but this isn't the time to think of that.

I heard a small pop and barely had enough room to look over Cell's shoulder to see what it was. Kizufumi released a capsule with a small aircraft inside. He got in and started the near-silent engine. I had never seen that type vehicle, therefore figured it was something he built himself.

As Kizufumi lifted off and flew away, so did Cell. He followed close behind, as if programmed to stay at a precise distance. I continued to punch his back, scratch at his wing (though I made no marks whatsoever), but nothing woke him up from the trance he was in. I yelled his name, ordered him to let me go, but quickly stopped when I thought that if he complied, I'd fall the ground with no hope of him saving me.

Then again, I knew he wouldn't let me go—even out of spite, like he would've done at any other time I met up with him. Kizufumi had a powerful lock on him, and since he was told to take me, Cell wouldn't let me go unless he was forced to by someone who was on my side.


	6. Imperfect Cell

**Dum** **Dee Dum: **A bit short, but I like this chapter. I think it'll finally help some of you people out that were a bit skeptical in the beginning. Anyway, I'd like to mention that **aquasage** is a brilliant psychic…no further comment. I send out thanks to those who have reviewed—I do so enjoy your feedback on the chapter(s). Enjoy this one, won't you:)

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**Chapter 6: **_Imperfect Cell_

I wished to no end that Kizufumi would speed up so we could get to wherever faster. My abdomen was getting sore from the position I was in over Cell's shoulder; I could feel the blood going to my head more and more and I was getting nauseous from flying backwards—I barely did well with flying in general.

I tried very hard to keep my mind off of my discomforts. Hitting Cell relentlessly had gotten me nowhere, so I had given up my attempts to free myself. His hold was much too strong on me, so there was no chance of even jumping to my death, though I wouldn't have done that on purpose anyway, let me assure you. Instead I found myself just looking around.

There was one thing, however, I noticed when I looked in the direction towards Cell; my eye caught sight of very tiny marks—burn marks, perhaps? There were six of them, from what I could count at the angle I was at, but they were all perfectly round. I couldn't figure out how Cell, being the type that could have half his body blown apart and then grow it back within minutes, could have such scars. I tried to study them more closely, but all my eyes would allow me to do was reach long enough to see that there were little pricks in the center of those reddish-brown dots.

I twisted my head back to normal and looked ahead, my eyes glancing down at Cell's unusually yellow and toe-less feet. He wasn't made of metal, but he was much too powerful to have such marks on him. I knew he could bleed—his fights in the Cell Games made that obvious, but those marks didn't look like they had bled.

My thoughts were dislocated, though, when Cell shifted violently and started heading down. I instinctively grabbed onto whatever I could reach—his wing in this case—and held on for dear life. He was speeding down so fast I thought I was going to throw up on him.

He halted though just before my stomach made that thought a reality. I looked up and felt his arm loosen its hold on me, but before I could push away, he dropped me. I landed on my butt with a rough thud and moaned from the pain that shot up my already injured back.

As I got to my feet I noticed Kizufumi getting out of his plane. I made to move away from Cell, but a hand grabbed my shoulder and yanked me back so I was pressed up against his body. I looked up at him, thinking maybe he regained consciousness, but he looked blankly ahead at the scientist.

"Well, Miss Layrial, did you enjoy your flight?" Kizufumi asked with a smug grin, his hand fixing the opposite arm's shirt sleeve.

"Oh yes, it was delightful," I replied agitatedly. "So what did you do to him?"

"I beg your pardon?" he asked formally, his sharp gaze sweeping over mine and his eyes practically fluttering. He was such an asshole.

"I want to know what you did to Cell," I repeated, mocking him by fixing my own shirt.

Kizufumi chuckled to himself and started to walk away. I waited for him to answer, but it seemed he was going to be rude and keep any knowledge of his control over Cell from me. He paused in his steps and reached inside his coat pocket. I saw a small gun-like object, but I couldn't make out what it was for.

"Its actually quite simple," the man replied. "Seeing that Cell was my original design, I know exactly what he's capable of and what I can still manipulate, though he is in his final form."

"Obviously," I muttered, but pretended to be innocent when he turned around. Cell released my shoulder at this point and I took the chance to take several baby steps away.

"You see this android, though a biological creature, still works similar to a computer; it's easy to crash its system as long as you know how. And this, my dear, contains the deadly virus that can wipe out the hard drive."

I stared at him as he raised the gun and pointed it towards me. I thought he was going to shoot me—my heart immediately flying up my throat and my eyes widening to their limits. His manicured finger pulled the trigger and I heard Cell gasp ever-so slightly behind me. I spun around, having no idea what had just happened, and looked at the android. He stood perfectly still, though slouching slightly, and had three very small red darts piercing his neck. Staring at it for several seconds, I now learned where the burn marks came from.

Kizufumi startled me when he came up to my side; he reached up and pulled the darts out of Cell's neck. "You see, each dart tip is coated with an acid that no normal human being could ever touch without protection. This acid, though, has just enough strength to penetrate through the android's outer layer; once the dart has made its way in, it automatically releases a toxin that basically numbs his brain. He's highly intelligent and hard to control, so the power of this chemical is miraculous, wouldn't you say?"

I nearly choked; I took in a ragged breath and stared at the blank expression on Cell's whimsical face. Though he didn't move, I could see the veins in his neck appearing as if he was fighting the effects of the drug. Three darts, nine small dots—that meant this was the third time Kizufumi had to inject Cell. Amazingly, my brain worked this out: the brilliant scientist had to religiously inject more of the drug into Cell's body in order to maintain control. There may be a time limit…which meant it would eventually wear off again if he didn't put more in.

"You monster," I said finally once I absorbed all of this. "You're killing him."

"In a sense, yes," he said. "Very good, Miss Layrial; you obviously have some sort of understanding of science. Indeed, after a while even my perfect Cell won't be able to sustain the mounting effects of my mind controlling chemical. Though he'll do much better and last much longer than say you or I would, he'll eventually go into total melt down—but at that point I'll have no further use for him."

Even the all powerful android had a design flaw. His body allowed him to take this stuff in. I couldn't believe—I didn't _want_ to believe it. The idea that Cell was slowly being tortured to the point of no return ate me up inside. I could only wonder if he knew of his defeat, that he understood that he had no control over what was happening to him.

"Now, Miss Layrial, let me show you what true power really is," Kizufumi said boldly, his near-perfect smile setting off his face. He stepped aside, taking my upper arm tightly in his grasp, and pulled me away. "Cell, that island straight ahead," he said. "Destroy it."

"NO!" I yelled out and tugged at his hold, but he grabbed me with both hands, restraining me by both arms and forced me into watching. I couldn't tell from where we stood if the island was highly inhabited, but I knew someone was there because there'd be no point to blowing it up otherwise.

Cell took off, slower than I thought he normally would, but he was still quicker than anyone I could name. I could barely see him in the distance, several miles above the island. I had no idea what expression he wore—did he smile? Did he blink? I also had no idea what method he was going to use, though I figured the usual fire ball in his hand would do the job.

Within moments…the island was engulfed in a monstrous cloud of black smoke. A nearby airplane was caught in the blaze, and it made me break into a sob. Kizufumi allowed me to yank my arms away from him and I ran a few feet ahead. My hands clasped themselves over my mouth and I broke down, my knees giving way from under me.

I had never witnessed something so devastating.

Cell returned within a few moments, landing in front of Kizufumi, but making no movement to acknowledge his actions. I was torn between looking at his backside to the smoking area in the middle of the gulf. I wanted to lose it entirely, but by doing so would've put me at a greater disadvantage.

"Shall I demonstrate him once more?" Kizufumi asked.

"NO!" I hollered. My voice was caught in my throat at the end of my cry; my eyes were stinging with tears. "Stop this madness! Please, don't do this anymore…release him!"

"Release him?" Kizufumi laughed. "I think not. He's my toy, don't you see? Until I get what I want, I'll do what I please with him. However, it is time for me to go meet the press. This is the last warning; the next time Cell is set lose I'll destroy the capital city. Bring her with us," he ordered.

Cell walked over to me, his eyes looking at me coldly, but with no emotion of recognition beyond that. He grabbed my arm and started walking away before hoisting me to my feet. I cried, I scratched his hand, even drawing blood, but he didn't turn. Instead he took off into the air and waited for Kizufumi to finish starting up his capsule plane. I hung there helplessly nearly fifty feet above the ground, holding Cell's hand in fear he'd uncurl his fingers. I tried pleading with him again, but he was still numb inside.


	7. Fear of Loss

**Bonjour; Hola; Guten Tag; Hello: **Ahh, I'm enjoying this story so much more than I actually had been. Its starting to get exciting and I'm at that the point where I just want to sit in one place for several hours and finish it. And since classes are basically over with and I'll have a week off I'll be able to do just that. So expect many updates :)

Last night, though, as a few of you may know since I had the pleasure of chatting with you during my mini-crisis, I realized that my original intentions for this chapter were immediately destroyed when I thought of the time and plotline. I'll explain more at the end…because it just dawned on me saying anything further could hurt the ending of this chapter XD Oops…

And just to let you know, I encourage reviews ;)

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**Chapter 7: **_Fear of Loss_

I was a bit surprised that Cell chose not to swing me over his shoulder like he had done before when carting my along. I was actually a bit angry at him for the way lugged me along—he held my wrist and that was all. I felt like my arm would be dislocated from my shoulder; the pain was almost unbearable. Just when I thought I was going to snap in several ways, Cell started to head back down to the ground.

Kizufumi landed his little plane near a group of people who were huddled together and staring at us. Cell landed next to him as he got out of the plane, I trying frantically to find my footing during our landing. I was aching considerably, but the swarms of people heading over to us made me forget the recent treatment I had just suffered and instead made me feel very uneasy.

Kizufumi smiled and put his hands behind his back, taking several steps forward to greet the reporters, cameramen and bystanders. I tried to get away, but Cell held my upper arm tightly with no intentions on letting me escape. He glanced up at him, but the expected smirk I half-figured would be etching onto his face wasn't there. He remained stiff and emotionless, his eyes blankly focused on the people in front of him.

"Dr. Kizufumi, do you have anything to do with Flower Island's explosion?" One reporter asked, his arm extending to shove the microphone into Kizufumi's face.

"I do," the bastard replied. "You're looking at him. You might also notice this charming lady that has joined our little group, though I think you aught to know she's not finding our company enjoyable."

I couldn't believe he actually came out and admitted that. He was psychotic, to say the least. He was more than willing to take the blame for the murderous crimes that had been taking place for the past two days. What the hell was up with that?

Nearly every reporter had turned to me and made attempts to start an interview, but Kizufumi jumped in front of them. Apparently he didn't like the attention being drawn to someone else when he was standing right there. "There will be no questions for her," he told them daringly. "Your issue is with me and only me. And I'd like to mention two things for you ungrateful people—I want the president to back down or I will be forced to unleash Cell onto the capital city. After that, the entire country will see the same fate as that little island did; do I make myself clear?"

A blonde woman pushed her way through and held up her cordless microphone. "Doctor, what will you do with the girl?"

The girl? Did I really look like a mere girl? Excuse me, lady, but I'm older than you think, married and went through twelve hours of labor to have a kid. Got something else to say to me? Oh, and why did they sound like I was just some object?

Kizufumi smiled and chuckled to himself. "Oh, she will die regardless of what you people do. That's been determined long ago; she just didn't believe me when I stumbled upon her."

"Do you really plan on killing her?" someone from the crowd asked. Everyone started to talk and look at each other. I tried to move, but Cell pulled me closer to him in an uncomfortable fashion.

"Of course," Kizufumi smiled graciously. "The only thing keeping Cell from ending her life right now is my control over him. Let me demonstrate—Cell, take her back to where we came from and await my return."

Cell made no bow, did not say "yes" or anything else. The only reason everyone knew he would obey is because he did exactly as the man told him. Cell tossed me over his shoulder once again (I'd prefer this to the other mode) and we were off. I watched the crowd getting smaller until they looked like one big blob in the center of the street. The only reason why I think Kizufumi told Cell to leave was because there were too many questions about me and not him. He was just a bit conceited, I think.

We returned to the cliff we had been on before and no longer could I make out the blob of men and women on the street we had just left. Cell tossed me to the ground and although I was basically used to this harsh treatment by now, I still found I had many more spots on my body to bruise. I got to my knees and rubbed my elbow, my back to the android.

Cell moved behind me and then stopped. I looked over and saw that he was looking at the city, perhaps keeping an eye on the things happening down there. I dare considered that he was supposed to protect Kizufumi.

"Cell?" I asked as I got to my feet. I wondered if there was a chance he'd respond to me if Kizufumi wasn't there. I moved a bit closer, my hand instinctively moving out to touch him as I got closer, but he made no response. I was nearly inches from touching his arm when he spun around and whacked me with such force I thought I was chopped in half.

I went sailing backwards, landing on my side and skidding several more feet away. My face burned from the dirt it had rubbed against in this process, but I quickly moved up as if to defend myself for another attack. Cell remained in the same position, looking at the city with his arms hanging stiffly by his side. When I thought of any image of Cell, I saw his arms crossed over his broad chest.

"Cell, why are you doing this? Can't you hear me?" I got back to my feet, but didn't dare move any closer—that hit was probably a warning, but I didn't want to test the theory. "I know you wouldn't hurt me, Cell! You're better than this! You would never let that asshole take control over you! You're perfect, remember!"

There was no answer. I was at a loss and I felt completely helpless. Then I felt selfish as if just remembering who I was. I was a married woman with a baby. I had gone off and left my husband and daughter to confront…him—Cell. What was I thinking? Well, obviously I didn't think he'd be like this, but why did I leave? How could I be so selfish and try to talk to a creature that killed people?

I was sure that Toshi would see that news report…it would worry him to no end. I hoped, prayed that he wouldn't try to come out here and try to find me. Cell would kill him and there was no guarantee that those wishes could work again, not to mention I had no idea how to make them. I wanted to go home, but I couldn't. I wished I had never done this…I was at the point I had been in over a decade ago—I didn't know if I was going to make it out alive and I was regretting every choice I had recently made.

An aircraft landed several feet away from where I sat and I wasn't surprised to see who it was. With my shoulders sagging, and tears trickling out of my eyes, I watched as that…bastard Kizufumi emerged from his plane. He looked out over the city and then over to Cell.

"We're going to the capital," he said. "I gave them until dusk to surrender to me. If they don't you're free to do what you please."

Once again Cell made not comment, nor did he even bow his head. He just stood there. My tears came more freely at this sight and I tried to keep myself from making any sobbing noises. This time, I was alone. This man was a nutcase and the only person who could've taken my side was under such a powerful drug that I was wasting my breath trying to speak to him. He had no idea what was going on.

"Take her—I'll let her live long enough to see me rise to power," Kizufumi said.

Cell turned on his heel and came at me. For some strange reason I decided that I had had enough—I wasn't going to let him do this to me again. I turned and started to run as fast as I could. I stupidly looked over my shoulder and saw Cell jumping into flight towards me, his eyes, though, looking no different than they had before. To be a bitch (because I already knew I couldn't outrun him) I fell to the ground and ducked. Naturally Cell flew right over, but he hadn't gotten very far. He came to a halt and picked me up with both arms.

And then he stopped and stood up, my body locked in a terribly awkward position where I was sideways against his torso. He turned and I could barely make out a figure that hadn't been there before, standing straight and proud.

"Let her go, Cell," the young man said.

"And who are you?" Kizufumi asked, pausing from getting into his plane. He seemed amused, however, and crossed his arms over his chest.

"It doesn't matter who I am," came the reply. I looked him over and immediately thought I knew him from somewhere…but I couldn't remember. He was an average height, built well and stood confidently. His spiked, short black hair looked just as sharp as the expression he wore on his face.

"I suggest you leave or I'll order him to kill her," Kizufumi said simply.

"If you do that then I'll kill you," the other said firmly. "And Cell should know that I can kill him."

It was then I realized exactly who this person was. Though his hair was much different (black instead of the bright blonde I remember) and obviously much older looking, he was the kid that defeated Cell in the tournament all those years ago. And his name rang in my head the moment I realized this; his name was Gohan.

* * *

**My Oops: **When I was about to introduce my new (though well known) character into this chapter, my original intentions were to use teen Trunks because I figured he'd be fairly immature, but wouldn't be AS powerful as say Vegeta or Goku. Well, I realized that by using the basis of Movie 12 for my second story in the Layrial/Cell series, it was impossible to do this. Trunks was only like 8 or younger in movie 12, which meant since only 3-4 years passed since my last story that he wouldn't be the 16-18 figure I wanted. I then considered just keeping him at this current age, but that meant I had to include Goten in on the action and though I like Goten, I didn't want to deal with two little rug rats at the same time…and Trunks and Goten are rarely seen apart during their younger kid-years. My only other alternative was Gohan because I wanted someone who could really give Cell a good run, but not someone like Vegeta or Goku who could destroy Cell. Remember, Gohan was more powerful during the Cell Games, _however_ he slacked off afterwards and as a result became weaker—as pointed out when fighting in Babadi's ship during the Buu Saga. Now I hate Gohan, so I'm not very keen on using him, but someone like Yamcha or Krillin honestly wouldn't go at Cell alone, not to mention they wouldn't stand a chance. What about Piccolo? Well….I didn't want to be bothered with him XD (sorry to you Piccolo lovers!) Also, Vegeta and Goku were dead (technically) in movie 12, so I didn't feel like figuring out any explanations on why they returned. CassieKnight equals Lazy, in that respect ;) So, after discussing my little setback with AVC, Gohan was the choice…lucky him. 


	8. Doom Battle

**Author's little talk: **This took me longer than I expected, which I apologize for since you guys are dying to know what happens ;) I shall say that this pulls away from the normal content of this particular story—you may like it ;) So enough from me—except thanks for the reviews kind people! Hehe. Enjoy…

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**Chapter 8: **_Doom Battle_

Gohan stood with his hands curled into fists at his sides. He looked like he hadn't a string of fear crossing his mind, and I figured that he could probably kill Cell quicker and easier than he had when he was just a kid. I didn't want to see Cell die, but at this point it was probably the best for everyone, including Cell himself.

Kizufumi seemed highly amused by all of this and leaned against his plane like one would when loitering around a pub after hours. He wore a smile of arrogance and it gave me the urge to slap him clear across the face, though with still being trapped in Cell's uncanny embrace that action couldn't be fulfilled.

"Well Cell, are you going to let her go or will you force me into action?" Gohan asked his voice steady and firm.

"My dear boy," Kizufumi said, "you haven't the slightest chance against my android. He's not what you think."

"If you knew anything about history you'd know that Cell isn't as powerful as everyone believed," Gohan replied. "Either way, I'm going to kill him and bring you to justice."

"Go ahead and try," Kizufumi said.

Before anyone could do anything, a girl around the same age as Gohan landed several feet behind him. Of course I knew who she was—everyone did. She was Videl, daughter of the infamous Hercule, another figure that was usually in spotlight that I didn't admire. She was short, thin and had cut her hair in an unfashionable style, but somehow she gained the knowledge that Cell, Gohan and a few select others had achieved—flight without use of mechanics.

"Videl, protect this lady," Gohan said.

"Cell, kill him," Kizufumi ordered.

Without hesitation Cell pushed me aside and lunged at Gohan, who jumped up to meet the fight. I stumbled to the ground, but found a pair of hands trying to pull me back up. "C'mon," Videl urged. "You're safe now."

I got up and followed her back to what she claimed to be a safe spot—a very small little hill that was at a decent distance from the fight taking place. I stopped before she did, practically forcing her to stand there with me and watch what was going on. My eyes searched the area until I found Cell and Gohan locked in an intense battle several miles above the ground. Though I could barely see what was going on, it seemed as if both were holding their own against their opponent.

Several moments later, the fighters returned to the surface and tossed out a series of kicks and punches that made me cringe at the sight. Gohan was starting to throw those little energy balls, but Cell merely knocked them away. Either they weren't trying very hard or Cell was evenly matched against this once-victor.

Videl pretended to punch the air, her brow furrowing in concentration and determination at the fight. "C'mon, Gohan! You can get this son-of-a-bitch," she said, but quickly looked at me after her vulgarity seeped out. "Sorry…I get into these things."

"Do you really think he'll win?" I asked amazed.

"Sure," she replied. "Gohan is one of the world's top fighters—he saved Earth loads of times. He's actually the one who beat Cell the first time, though my father got the credit."

"I see," I said, though I already knew this to be the truth. But that was irrelevant right now—Cell was busy kicking Gohan's ass.

It was true. When I looked back at the two warriors Cell had grabbed Gohan's ankle and started swinging him around. He released him, the teen being flung away, but Cell met him in mid-air and kicked him back. He was acting on pure violence, not taking one moment to reflect on what was going on. He didn't pause, didn't seem to think about his actions, and didn't miss a single defensive move. He was on fire; he was completely out of control. I wondered if the drug Kizufumi has put in him also acted as a form of steroid.

Gohan got to his feet some thirty yards away; he wiped his mouth on the back of his hand. Videl and I stood speechless, neither of us sure what to think or expect. I glanced back at Cell; he was standing there as if nothing had happened. He looked in Gohan's direction, but that was the extent of it.

"I guess you've gotten stronger," Gohan said. "I'll have to up my levels as well."

My eyes grew wide immediately; a strange yellow glow surrounded him (though I had seen this part before) but before I could blink his hair had transformed into a radiating gold. He could change his hair color instantly…oh, how I know so many girls that would love to get their hands on that trick.

Gohan, though, didn't seem to care about his hair. He leapt up and flew at an extreme speed across the plain. Cell stood still, apparently ready for any attack that would come at him. I focused my eyes on Gohan, wondering what he planned to do. I couldn't understand, though, what could possibly be going through his mind when he flew directly up. Cell's head, in turn, leaned back and watched him.

I couldn't really tell exactly how far up Gohan was, but I could barely make him out. The only thing I noticed was a little flashing light up there with him. I figured he was doing one of those little light balls, but that was the only guess I could muster. I was right (of course…) and a rather intense fireball came zooming down; Cell deflected it.

The android took flight, his feet springing him easily from the ground so he could sail up to his opponent. Gohan didn't seem to be moving, at first, but suddenly he disappeared. Cell stopped, as did my heart, and everyone looked around. I took a quick second to glance at Kizufumi, but he looked unaltered—he was still very much confident that Cell would be the victor.

Still unsure of how the outcome could be, I looked back—Cell and Gohan were in a fist-to-fist combat. They both flew back down towards the ground, fists and feet jumping everywhere, but then one finally connected.

Within seconds Cell crashed to the hard surface of the ground, the dirt shattering around him and indenting with the extreme force. He sat up in, his face looking…fierce. It was a familiar look I had once seen before—he didn't like to be made a fool of.

"Finish this!" Kizufumi called out. "We have work to do!"

He didn't have to ask Cell twice. The android shot up into the air, his arm reclined back, and then he hit Gohan so hard I'm surprised the kid's head didn't fall off. The golden hair faded away and the young man landed on the ground.

"Gohan!" Videl yelled out and she immediately ran over to him. I looked in their direction, afraid that the poor kid was really hurt or…dead…

Before I could even start going over to aid them, though, I felt an arm wrapping around my waist and hauling me off. I squirmed and yelled at Cell, Videl getting to her feet and looking helplessly at me as I was being taken away, but nothing could be done. Kizufumi was on his way to the capital and I was still his prisoner.


	9. Awaken, Dear Android

**The Note: **I believe I used that heading before…oh well. Anyway, forgive me for the delay—it's been a very hectic week, not to mention it was pretty…aggravating, but never mind that. So here's the chapter that I have been debating over changing or not; to let you know, it wasn't changed—the ending (which you'll hate me for…you'll understand just why when you get there…hehe) is untouched, except for the few typos I made, but fixed. I will allow you guys to know that the story IS finished, but I'm honestly not sure if I want to add more to it or not. We'll see, but because of that debate I'm having with myself, I can't confirm exactly when I'll have the rest of the story up. So enjoy this one—and I'll do my best to finish (though I don't want to XD).

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**Chapter 9: **_Awaken, Dear Android_

We arrived several miles outside of the city, where apparently Kizufumi decided to wait and not be disturbed by the media. He landed his jet, returned it to the capsule and looked out into the distance as if he owned the world. I, on the other hand, was forced to remain within close proximity to Cell; the time I tried to move away he pulled me back and kept a firm grip on my arm. Of course I knew why—Kizufumi had ordered him to keep me within site. They didn't want another problem to arise before they could go ahead with their next plan.

Finally, though, I couldn't take the wait any longer. I looked up at Cell, who of course made no motion, though…his eyes didn't seem as foggy…and I crossed my arms over my chest. "Hey you, Dr. Weird," I said. "When the hell are you going to just finish this?"

"In do time, my dear" he replied and turned me to me slightly. "Patience is a virtue, darling."

"First of all, don't call me darling," I replied unkindly. "And second, I'm getting tired of being your prize here. Either let me go or kill me."

"Despiteful little creature, aren't you?" he snickered. He walked over to me and looked me over with hungry eyes. "I admire your spunk. You are a remarkable woman."

His fingers began to trace my jaw and I immediately jumped back into Cell. Kizufumi smiled and grabbed my arm tightly, pulling me away and swinging me around. I nearly stumbled, but I regained my stability and slapped him clear across the face, my nails catching some skin and giving him a good scratch.

Kizufumi backed away and his hand rested on his face. "You dirty little bitch," he said. "Women are such petty creatures. Cell get rid of her and end this charade."

My eyes grew wide and looked over at Cell. He turned to me and proceeded forward; I instinctively backed away. I had no other choice but to attempt to run—I turned and broke into the fastest run I could possibly muster. What surprised me, though, was that Cell shot one of those little light balls at me. I saw it coming—by pure chance—and fell to the ground only seconds before it hit me. The heat it projected was horrible and I could feel myself start to cry.

Cell was going to kill me—I had no chance of getting out of this. I tried to get up and run, but he had already appeared by my side. His leg swung around and kicked me in the abdomen, sending my skidding several meters away. I coughed and I became highly nervous and alarmed when drops of blood came out and landed on the dirt ground. The fact that I now most definitely had broken ribs made me want to vomit.

Cell's footsteps alerted me to look over; he was coming at me and I needed to get away. I haphazardly got to my feet and tried to keep going, though every bit of movement my body made gave me a ripping pain that nearly made me scream. Cell jumped ahead and caught my arm. I pulled and pulled, my eyes shedding tears and staining my dirty face. I yelled out, practically screaming at him to let me go.

"Cell! Please!" I cried. "You…you can't do this! Please!"

Cell's hand formed a ball of energy. I gazed at it, my chest heaving with deep breaths and my throat letting out constant sobs. I attempted to pull away again, but his grip was so tight I thought I'd pull my arm off in the process. I tried kicking him, tried letting myself fall, but he kept me upright.

"Cell, please let me go," I cried as hard as I ever had. When faced with death—certain death such as this—I never figured I'd lose all control like I had now. Perhaps it was because now I had something to live for. My darling daughter would grow up never knowing her mother. My wonderful husband was betrayed and left to fend for himself for the rest of his life—alone and heart broken. I had ruined three people's lives, and all because of the monster that was about to finish me off.

I looked at Cell, my gray eyes full of pain and sorrow, but also pity. He had no idea what he was doing…or did he? I stared at him hard and blinked away the tears that currently flooded my eyes. Cell stared at me and it was then I realized he wasn't moving. He held me in one hand and the energy ball in the other, but he made no move to kill me. His face seemed…determined, yet confused.

"Cell…wake up," I whispered. "You have to wake up…You don't want to do this."

I heard something being fumbled with behind me and I looked over with wonder. Then it all clicked in my head and I understood what was happening. The battle with Gohan prolonged the scheduled injection of the virus into Cell—and apparently Kizufumi had forgotten about it until he saw that Cell paused in his actions.

"Cell! Wake up—he's going to poison you again," I said still trying to pull my arm from his grasp. I looked at Kizufumi hastily loading fresh darts into the gun and I yanked as hard as I could. "CELL! DAMN IT!"

Cell stood up straight and forced me closer. He looked angry and still very determined. Kizufumi was now walking quickly closer to us to confirm his aim with a closer range. Cell, in the meantime, raised his other hand and held the ball level with my face, making it grow bigger by the second.

"You fucking android! You're such a damn coward you can't even kill a damn, pathetic human woman! You're a disgrace!" I yelled at him.

And then his hand released me. I ducked to the ground, the ball flying from his hand and exploding some space away from us. I crawled under his legs to confuse him as much as possible and hurled myself over to Kizufumi. He lifted his foot to try to kick me while he took aim at Cell, who stood still and not facing anything but the horizon.

I lunged myself at the scientist's legs and wrapped both my arms around them. I could feel the adrenaline racing through my entire body. He fell back and his hand pulled the trigger. I yelled out and bit his calve as hard as I could. His hand grabbed my hair and I was forced off.

I tried rolling away, but he kicked me twice and I couldn't move. I cried out in pain, but heard him trying to load more darts into his gun again. I looked around and the only thing that I knew I could handle right now was a rock. I grabbed the closest one to me and threw it with all my might. I clipped Kizufumi's shoulder and he looked at me with pure hate.

"You damn woman!" He yelled, but bent down to recover the darts he dropped when startled by the rock. I threw another one, but I missed by a mile. He looked at me again with a deadly stare as he shoved one of the darts in the gun's barrel.

Kizufumi managed to put the next two darts into the gun and he hurried towards me. I tried to pull myself away, but he stomped down on my leg and I was forced to remain still. I looked up, terrified at what he pointed at me, and I held my breath.

"You love your precious android, don't you?" he asked, his face looking as if he were possessed. "Well, here's a taste at what is slowly killing him as we speak. Rot in hell, bitch."

My eyes focused on the gun, and the gun alone. Everything else around me became black and all I saw was his finger grazing over the small trigger. My time had come and I was going to die from the same thing that invaded Cell—only my body wouldn't be able to handle the poison like he could.

Then…as if this were a movie, I saw a grayish white hand reach out of nowhere and suddenly Kizufumi became visible to me. A long green arm extended behind his body and that strong hand grabbed the back of his neck. The man cringed and his eyes bulged as he looked to his side.

I had to blink several times to get myself to see exactly what was going on. I rolled onto my back and sat up enough to see everything perfectly. Cell's sharp magenta eyes stared furiously at my attacker—at my to-be murderer. My life…was spared.


	10. Triumph

**Apparently I lie…:** I know I said I didn't know when I'd get this out, but I decided to stay up and re-read it. It's a good thing I did, because I added more to this chapter and I'm happy with it. One more after this one, but I'm not even going to try to look at it tonight—I'm way too tired XD Though I know I wanted to reply to reviews from long ago, but forgot on my last post. So here goes:

**Aquasage:** I know you asked this a while back, but I'm afraid that I haven't the slightest clue on how Vegeta or Goku died for movie 12. Since Trunks and Goten know the fusion dance (as well as Goku) then it must be after the Buu Saga, but apparently you're not supposed to wonder how everyone ended up dead again ;) And as for the question(s) you asked in your review to chapter 8, your answer(s) are in this chapter :)

**Akaida-Felinjin: **I hate Gohan for two reasons—he's a damn cry baby throughout all the sagas and he killed Cell. How dare he… :raises angry fist:

**Thomas Drovin: **Yes, Gohan was rusty. Remember, he basically slacked off after the Cell Saga because there was such a long round of peace on Earth, so to speak. And although he did work himself and stuff during the Buu Saga and so forth, I like to still pretend he's horrible :) Cell needed to kick his butt…it was overdue.

**CicadaS: **Yes, darts do work ;) And your scenario is interesting and amusing to imagine, but I'm afraid that Layrial doesn't have the nerve to do anything that could potentially harm Cell—besides, with Cell's body structure he couldn't feel anything she even tried to attempt because she has no physical strength over him. That, and pity Cell's not like the common man ;) I don't think the spot you're thinking of would affect him much ;) But it made me laugh XD Thanks.

**ShadowPrincess-Shekailaia: **Did I get your name right? …Sorry, it's long and I had to keep looking back to see if I got it :) ANYWAY, honestly, the idea of Cell being controlled wasn't the brightest idea I've ever had, but I figured I could get away with it in this case. Its something different, and I feel that it was done tastefully…well, I'm the writer, of course I think that XD But thank you for giving it a chance!

**Reindeer Sausage: **You're not reading into things! You're putting a lot of thought into what's going on, and that's great! I'm so happy to hear that I can 'make' people consider my stories so much ;) hehe. Anyway your answer is in this chapter.

**Jessiegurl2: **Thanks :) hehe. Though I think I gave Kizufumi about 24 hours or more to terrorize people—remember it was the next day when Layrial decided to head out and try her luck at stopping Cell. And I agree—I'm sad it has to end so soon too, but I don't like it when things are stretched out beyond their limit. Ah well…

I believe that's everyone—If I missed you, forgive me. Its 12:30 in the morning and I really _need_ to go to bed. So, enough of my crap—go read the chapter!

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**Chapter 10: **_Triumph_

Dr. Amon Kizufumi went stark white. If I had known my mind was working up to normality I'd like to think that I saw sweat quickly forming on his face forcing it to gleam in the afternoon sunlight. Though he was caught with surprise and uncertainty, he tried very hard to keep his composure strong.

"You've got the wrong person," he said with a slightly smug grin. "Release me and break her neck."

Cell stood still and stared at him with malice pulled clearly over his angelic face. He turned his back on me and lifted Kizufumi up off his feet where the man's legs swung about in fear. "Let me go, you fool!" The scientist ordered. "Kill _her_."

As if it had been a temporarily forgotten thought, Kizufumi raised the gun to Cell's neck, but Cell's free hand grabbed it and crumbled it between his fingers. To prove that the little machine had been completely destroyed, he held his arm out and let the tiny pieces fall to the ground.

I believe it was then that Kizufumi realized that he no longer had control over the great android. Cell held him higher in the air, his hand clearly starting to slowly, painfully cut off the air supply Kizufumi was fighting to keep. His pale, manicured hands grasped Cell's strong wrists in attempts to pull away, but he knew _his_ android's strength.

"Cell," he gasped, "you don't know what you're doing. I…I'm the only one who can keep you alive."

Cell's hand became tighter around Kizufumi's throat.

"Seriously!" Kizufumi gagged. "Those…those darts had enough power to weaken you if a steady supply isn't fed through your blood stream—you can…probably…already feel…"

At that moment Cell dropped the pitiful man, but didn't make any other move. Kizufumi coughed and turned to support himself on his hands and knees, but he quickly got to his feet and faced Cell, fear covering every inch of his trembling body. "You see—we need each other. I can create a cure for you and you can do what I need you to do."

"For a man of great intelligence such as yourself, you know nothing of what you claim you created," Cell spoke, his accented masculine voice ringing beautifully through my ears.

Kizufumi forced a short laugh and took a few steps back. "I'm sure I don't know what you mean…"

"I never take the time to explain myself," Cell replied. "But I'll let you in on this—you never should've threatened her. Now…I suggest you run."

I nearly lost all feeling in my body when Kizufumi fell to the ground and grabbed me. He pulled out a pocket knife, flipped it open, and held it to my neck. I was forced to my feet as he stood back up, the knife's blade uncomfortably close to grazing my skin.

"I'll kill her, I swear," he said. "You're not as perfect as I thought you'd be—you have too many flaws! My android would _never_ consider the life of a lesser being! She's nothing to you—she's worthless."

Cell's eyes narrowed, but he looked unmoved by Kizufumi's words. "I am not your android," he replied resentfully. "I belong to no one." His eyes looked at me for a split second, but his focus returned to my attacker. "Though there is a bit of truth in your words—I'm currently not considering the life of a lesser being."

I could feel my sweat glands going into overtime with this. One wrong move and it would be over for me—and I prayed to whoever would listen that Cell knew this. I wondered if I dared try to kick or punch this asshole in the groin, but with my luck I'd miss and I'd kill myself in the process.

Kizufumi began to back away, his hand shaking as he held the knife up to my throat. "I'm warning you…"

"You're warning me?" Cell laughed, his hands resting on his hips. "Please; you yourself should realize what I'm capable of. Threatening her life makes no difference to me. Whether you kill her or not, you are still going to _die._" The way that last word…no…the way that entire second half of that phrase rolled off his tongue, his voice going deeper than usual in a way that sounded wickedly evil, made my body break out in goose bumps.

"Y-you don't scare me," Kizufumi lied. "I know how you work—I designed you."

"Is that so?" Cell said, seemingly replying to the man's boast. "Let's put you to the test, shall we?"

Kizufumi's eyes became extremely large, and his mouth dropped. His gaze narrowed to Cell's finger, which was pointed directly at him, a small spark appearing at the tip. "You'll kill your little prize here if you kill me like that," he warned.

"We'll see," Cell replied simply.

Kizufumi realized Cell wasn't bluffing. I realized this too, but thankfully, Kizufumi thought of himself more than he did of getting even with Cell. He quickly turned, stumbled twice and tried to pick up speed. The man wasn't smart enough to realize he hadn't the slightest chance.

Cell released his attack and Kizufumi burst into pieces. I turned my head and wished I had been smart enough to close my eyes, but what I had just witnessed brought about a large sigh of relief. I forced myself to drop back to my knees, my fear gone now, and a bit of my strength returning to me.

Cell turned, finally, and looked down to me with a soft gaze. He knelt down and pulled me gently to my feet, his thumb grazing over a gash I didn't realize I had on my forehead until he touched it. "It wasn't nice to throw such vulgarity at me," he said.

At first I thought he had gone mad, but then I remembered how I had yelled at him before escaping. I smiled and looked away, feeling a bit sheepish. "Well, I guess it worked," I replied shortly after. "Did you know what you were doing?"

Cell brushed my hair away from my face and looked me over as if he had never seen me before. "Yes," was his answer. "I saw you, I knew exactly who you were and heard everything you said, but I couldn't do anything about it."

"So you know what happened to you?"

Cell nodded. "When the first injection was released, I was forced to listen to that idiot man explain everything to me. You have no idea how infuriated I was, though he claimed that the more anger I released the easier he would have to take hold of my mind."

"I thought that he did have complete control of you mind," I said. "I mean, after what you did to me…"

"He had a certain amount—but not as much as he thought," he explained. "You should know, though, that I had to keep an absurd amount of focus not to follow through with every order Kizufumi gave me to kill you. Although this last time I could feel myself losing until you yelled at me." Cell smiled and looked at me adoringly. "I do believe you snapped me out of it, dear Layrial."

I made a short nod and took a deep breath. "I'm glad you did snap out of it," I said after a long moment. "I was about to feel the effects of that…poison." As I spoke it dawned on me exactly why I would've died so quickly from the toxic liquid. It was designed to kill, but for Cell, because of his genetic make-up, it would act as a mind controlling chemical while only slowly killing him.

I looked up at the android quickly and tried to pull out the truth. Was he dying and neither of us truly knew it? Would he just collapse without any warning and I'd be left with his body? My toes lifted me up a few more inches and I put my hand against his cheek. I was actually surprised that his normally warm skin was a bit chilled.

"Cell," I said softly. "That virus…"

Cell took my hand and I returned to my normal footing. He kissed my knuckles, his lips lingering for a moment, and he let me go. "Shall I return you home?"

My answer came with his tone. I knew he understood the truth and I had to accept it. I needed to go home, though, and return to my family—God only knows what sort of condition Toshi was in. I gave a slight nod and took a step closer to Cell; his arms scooped me up and he easily left with a small kick off the ground.


	11. Final Goodbyes

**Is this…the end: **I'm afraid it is, folks. Last chapter of this story, as sad as it is. I tried my best to deliver a satisfying ending, however, know that I wrote what I felt best :) hehe. Anyway, I'm not going to bother with giving a note at the end, but feel free to ask questions if you have any—I'll reply to you if I can, but only through a signed review.

Also, good news for those of you that can't get enough of these stories; believe it or not, I am planning on writing a fourth, though the basic ideas are only scratched out on paper. It may take me a while to get the finer details—the beginning in particular—but hopefully I'll be able to deliver it. So look out for it. Also, the story of Cell's _Shadowed Spirit_ p.o.v. will hopefully be in the works soon, though my spring break is over as of Monday morning :( We'll see how the weekend goes if I'll be able to start it or not.

Again, thank you all for your wonderful reviews. You guys are honestly what keeps me going, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Hopefully I'll "see" you next time, but if not, take care.

Onto the end…

* * *

**Chapter 11: **_Final Goodbyes_

Knowing I was a married woman and that by doing anything else would make me feel like I was cheating on my husband, I sat still in Cell's arms and resisted the temptation to huddle closer to his chest. The wind was easy on my face with his slower-than-normal speed and I was grateful for it. The cut on my head had dried up for the most part, but even the air whisking over it made it sting.

It shouldn't have surprised me to know that Cell wasn't going to drop me off so easily. He flew to a high cliff that overlooked the ocean, a mass of deadly rocks catching the treacherous waves several hundred feet below. The android set me down; and I looked out to the horizon to see nothing but blue ocean spreading out for miles and miles.

"Cell," I started. I hoped…prayed that he didn't think he could sweep me off my feet. I cared for him to a point, yes, but there was no romance. "Why did you bring me here?"

"I was brought back from the bowels of Hell to do someone else's work," he told me. "The work he planned for me was exactly what I took pleasure in accomplishing years earlier, but only for my own reasons. However, there was something that struck me the moment I took in my first breath back here on this miserable, little planet. Instead of thinking of how I could terrorize the people of Earth, the first thought that came to me was wondering if I'd have the pleasure of laying my eyes on you."

I took in a deep breath and hoped I wasn't blushing—though my face was getting very hot. I looked away, trying hard to think of something to say, something to do besides stand there and just listen and wait for him to act. I knew where he was going with this and…I couldn't touch upon it.

"Cell, I…" I tried to start, but my words were caught in my throat and I found myself swimming in the pools of his bright eyes.

"Layrial," he said, his hand coming up to tangle in the dark blue locks of my hair. "I've told you before that you're the only human I'd ever consider sparing. This time, though, I can't ask you to come with me."

He leaned down and brushed his mouth over mine, his lips cold in the warm sun. His fingertips sent a shiver down my spine when he touched my face and I nearly backed way from the frigid sensation. My heart sank. I knew that I was human, he was biological machine, but…the way he spoke made me want to crawl under a rock. The feeling that his body temperature was continuously falling made me want to cry. I knew the inevitable, but I didn't want to accept it. It was better…not to let this continue.

"Cell, please take me home," I said softly and looked away.

He looked at me, his jaw becoming stiff as he clamped his teeth together inside his mouth. I had hurt him. "I didn't mean it like that," I started, but he stepped away from me and stood up very straight.

"Let us go," he replied.

I directed Cell to the general vicinity of my home; I decided it was best not to land near the house in case Toshi saw—neither of the two had gotten along in their first meeting and Toshi would've assumed too much too soon.

"There," I said and pointed to a grassy field nearly a mile away from my homestead. Cell aimed for it and put me down once his feet landed on the green surface. He looked around, but I noticed the deep breathes he took, his chest rising higher than I was accustomed to seeing.

"Do you still have acquaintance with that other human I had seen you with?" He asked out of nowhere.

Totally unprepared to answer any questions about my personal life, I nodded and thought of the easiest way to tell him, though I figured the blunt side was the best. "I married him," I answered. "We have a nine-month-old daughter."

"Do you?" He replied without the slightest hint of amusement flicking from his voice. "And are you happy, Layrial?"

"Yes," I said without thinking twice about it.

"Happier than you would have been if I hadn't died?"

My heart stopped and I looked at the ground and searched for any clues as to what to do with his question. Of course I was happier than he could've made me—he didn't understand the needs I had as a human being. He was out to destroy, to perfect himself, not to care for a family. The thought of Cell even being part of a family couldn't even play into my imagination.

"Cell, you have to understand that…"

"I do not wish to hear an answer," he said quickly. "Though do answer me this—why did you come out after me when there was obviously so much danger and you now had…settled down, which I believe is the term you humans use."

Now that was the Cell I knew. I smiled and shrugged my shoulders, looking thoughtfully up to the android's odd appearance. "I didn't believe you would team up with someone like that stupid scientist," I told him. "I figured that I could persuade you to give up."

Cell chuckled and closed his eyes. "You yourself believe you have a sort of control over me, don't you?"

"Well, not…control," I said. "I like to think of it as influence."

"Layrial, humans will never understand that they're not as great as they think they are," he said.

What came next surprised me—Cell knelt down on one knee. His fist rested on the ground and steadied him, the other arm draped over his bent knee, but he looked tired. There was no physical evidence that he was hurt or drained, but I could tell that he wasn't feeling well. I dropped to my knees next to him, ignoring any pain that I felt in my own body.

"Cell, you're getting weak," I pointed out, not even considering that my statement could've bruised his ego.

Apparently Cell understood it as the truth because he said nothing of it. "I can feel it," he said.

"Feel what?"

"The virus." He gave a smile that looked rather evil. "Perhaps I should have considered the doctor's words as truth instead of an act of begging me for mercy."

"Oh no," I said and immediately tears sprang to my eyes. I took hold of his shoulders and looked at him with fear that he was going to just give in to the apparent fate. "You're Cell—perfect Cell! You can't just die from a stupid virus!"

"A continuation of injections would've kept it stable, but now the leftovers are fighting to keep control. Kizufumi didn't explain the entire truth to you, Layrial." I looked at him with confusion written all over my face. "There were three darts—two of which contained the virus, the third containing a separate entity that would build up inside of my core, but remain stagnant until there was nothing holding it back."

I took a deep breath and blinked away several tears. "You mean that asshole had a backup plan? He wanted to make sure that if he lost control over you there was no way you could survive?"

"You're a smart woman," Cell said and finally let himself sit down. I could see the color—what there was of it—fading from his face. I pushed him to lean back and surprisingly I had no trouble doing so. He lay on the ground, his head on my knees, my hands on his shoulder and chest. He looked as if he was a young child taking a nap, but I knew that Cell was losing his fight to stay alive.

"Tell me," he said, his eyes looking deeply into my own. "What do you call her—your offspring?"

"Sasara," I answered.

"Does she look like you?"

I gave a small grin and nodded. "Yeah, she's turning out to look more like me every day."

"Good," he said. "Forgive me for hurting you, dearest Layrial."

"Cell, there has to be something we could do for you," I said, trying very hard not to break down. I couldn't take seeing him like this—anyone in this situation would tear their heart out, but I had a bond…an odd bond, of course, but a bond with him nonetheless.

Cell's pale lips formed a heartwarming smile. He looked at me with a soft gaze, his hand rising to allow the back of his fingers to brush against my dirty cheek. "It's a shame we couldn't spend more time together this time," he said. "Though each time I see you the more I feel myself growing weaker with the mere sight of your lovely face."

Cell's hand fell and his head became heavy in my lap. I looked over at his chest to see it rising and falling slowly. His brow furrowed slightly, the look of pain washing over his face. Before I lost him completely, I leaned down—forgetting about who I was and where my life was sitting—and kissed him gently. I felt a little reply, but then…I knew he was gone.

Though people had fought relentlessly, even giving their lives to defeat this android, a mere virus was enough to put an end to his terror. Cell looked peaceful, his head leaning way from me, his body very heavy and limp. I didn't even attempt to move away; instead my fingers trailed down the yellow jaw-line of his face. My heart stopped, though, when he suddenly disappeared.

I stood up quickly and looked around, holding my hands to my chest, thinking that perhaps Cell wanted to play a joke on me—could he still be alive and he merely faked his own death to scare me?

"Cell?" I called out, but no reply came even after several long moments. I turned around, my eyes scanning the area over and over, but I finally got it to sink into my head that I was alone and he was, in fact, dead.

I began walking back home, thankful that everything was over, but still saddened that I had met my android again only to see him disappear. My android…it brought a small smile to my face as I walked along the trees to hear myself think of him as my android. Of course it wasn't true, but if anything—he probably thought of me as his human. Maybe not, but I let myself believe it anyway.

Three times I had met the android and three times he died, though this time it was more dramatic. Cell practically died like any human would, regardless of the cause. There were still unanswered questions that I failed to ask him, but I couldn't have brought it up with his state of being. I wondered if he purposely spared the life of Gohan, or if the boy just got lucky. I wondered if Cell had gotten stronger because of that virus, though I'm nearly convinced that he had been. Either way, those questions would remain as such, with no answer ever to be given to me.

My house came into view and my eyes lit up the moment I saw Toshi standing next to his car, the back door open—he was putting Sasara into her car seat. I yelled out his name and he turned, confused, and then stopped. He called for me, broke into a jog, and caught me in his arms once he reached where I stood, tired and nearly beaten.

This is where my story of Cell ends. For the rest of my life I'll remember him, but it will remain a secret as to how I truly felt about him. Evil, perhaps he was, though there was something about him that captivated my mind and held me hostage every time I was within is line of sight. I loved him…there's no question about it. The fact that he was an android—murderous and hateful—meant nothing to me anymore. I saw a side of him that no one else was ever able to open. I had the chance to see a side of him that no one else had ever, or could ever open up…a side even Cell himself didn't realize he had.

In the end, though, after learning that there was another emotion besides hatred and power, Cell was complete.


End file.
